Falling After You
by AlyssaLies28
Summary: Missions can be tough, they will be hurt. Then missions can be brutal, and Kuwabara is scrambling to make sure they all stay alive long enough for them to kill the baddy. It's hard when all he's running on is fumes. Being human comes second to doing what needs done.
1. Chapter 1

_I've gone on a Kurama/Kuwabara kick lately. Very odd considering I've never thought they go good together, but I see images in my head that puts strength to their relationship, whether it is love or friendship._

Kuwabara panted harshly. The air sawing in and out of his lungs tore his throat. His ribs screamed every heave of his chest. Cramps from his stomach tried to fight their way into spewing its contents onto the battlefield. Despite the pain, he choked down breath after breath trying to suck in the air that just wasn't reaching his brain. Maybe it was the adrenaline running rampant through his bloodstream, but lightheadedness fogged his mind. Everything he saw was flickering, the images doubling or tripling. He watched as two Yusukes rushed three enemies. A cry of warning stuck in Kuwabara's throat as the realization of there being only one Yusuke and one enemy clicked in his sluggish mind.

Kuwabara didn't know how many more hits his body could take. Already his body was lit up with various pains. His ribs were the most excruciating, but the broken bones weren't his most fatal. Blood poured into his right eye, casting a red hue over half his sight and further dizzying him. Though the gash on his temple trickled a steady flow of blood and left a good size goose egg that was pushing his brow down to obscure his already touchy vision, it was more superficial than anything.

No, those two, in addition to the multitude of bruises blackening his skin and scratches from being thrown on the rocky terrain, were not what had Kuwabara worried. It was the huge wound on his torso Kuwabara was sure to be fatal. The slice started at his belly button, leaving behind jagged, torn flesh as it swept down to his hip. Kuwabara was thankful that he still wore bandages around his hips cause he was positive that they were the only things keeping his teammates and that bastard demon fuck from getting an eyeful of his lower intestines. In a frenzy to prolong his life long enough to help his friends take down the maniac demon terrorizing the three worlds Kuwabara spent a grand total of five minutes turning his own heated spirit sword on himself and trying to cauterize the gaping wound, then salvaging what he could of his bandages to bind the still open slash. The pain was Hellish but with each tightened pull of the binds it had dissipated.

Thinking back on the situation, Kuwabara held no regrets about diverting the large amounts of his energies that usually went to rapidly healing and protecting his body form fatal blows. He needed the energies to fuel his attacks, not his defenses. Kuwabara hoped like Hell that his stomach injury wouldn't be what took him down. Every single other injury plaguing his body resulted directly from fighting their opponent. But his life on the line was brought about by friendly fire.

Or friendly hacking, Kuwabara thought as he summoned the strength to push himself out of the resting crouch he'd been in off to the sidelines. He was careful to stay clear of the swing of Hiei's blade as he backed up the fire demon for a double attack on the enemy's turned back. He would not be swiped at again. The first time was a mistake thankfully overlooked by the others in the heat of battle, but a second would send his body to the grounds and his spirit to Botan's always waiting oar side. Hiei may be a hardass motherfucker, but Kuwabara knew he cared for the little group of friends he'd accumulated during his short stint in the human world. And Kuwabara was proud to say he knew he was one of the few included in that exclusive friends category. His already devastated heart couldn't withstand the overwhelming guilt and self-hatred if he knew he'd slain a friend.

The split second of satisfaction Kuwabara felt rush through him as he and Hiei landed a spectacular blow to the middle of the demon's massive exposed back was cut short as the demon retaliated with a swinging back hand. Ducking in time to just be knocked to his knees from a brush of monsterly knuckles against his should, Kuwabara winced at the sound of Hiei's body flying several hundred yards away. The crash as Hiei collided with the ground at such a high speed was brutal. Kuwabara regained his footing to watch Hiei skid a further hundred yards halfway buried in the unyielding rocky ground. Worry fired through him when Hiei didn't immediately jump back into action. In fact Hiei wasn't even moving at all. From where Kuwabara stood, he could just make out the limp half bandaged arm from the rubble burying the fire demon.

"Hiei!-" "_No_!-" Kurama and Yusuke cried out at the same time. The two weakened warriors vented their rage on the demon enemy, picking up on the tag team strategy that he and Hiei had left off on. Working together they drove the enemy back, giving room for Hiei's hopeful recovery.

Kuwabara ran to Hiei's side, stumbling to his knees several times but always moving forward towards his fallen friend. Blood pounded in his head. His heart was tightening painfully at the thought that someone as absolutely _needed_ in his life could be dead. Kuwabara didn't know a lot of things, academia being a large portion of things that were altogether lost on him. But when he was fighting by the sides of Hiei and Kurama and Yusuke, he knew all he needed to know. Even if he had to learn it on the spot. Kuwabara hated Hiei for trying to fuck up his sense of _right_ by up and dying like an asshole.

Kuwabara knelt by Hiei's hidden fallen form. Ragged rock bit into the hardened flesh of his palms as he scrambled to dig up Hiei. Pain exploded in his chest at his desperate movements. His arms trembled with exhaustion, the effort of getting air to his friend quickly wearing thin what little energy he's gathered from his previous rest. Kuwabara felt the pain and exhaustion. His body was practically screaming it in his ears, but he paid the sensations no mind. He relied on his will to keep him going. Physical limits weren't gonna stop him from helping Hiei.


	2. Chapter 2

_Keep going Kuwabara! You can handle the intense situation! It's this or watch your friends die before your eyes. And the last time that happened you ripped apart a major important barrier. _

A hysterical sob tore from him as he brushed the last of the rocks from Hiei's face. Tears burned his eyes and blurred his limited vision as he saw the tremendous breath Hiei took the moment fresh air washed over his newly exposed face. Kuwabara felt back onto his butt, relief rocking through him.

"Holy Hell, Shortstuff," Kuwabara said in a shaky voice, "You can't go scaring me like that."

Kuwabara's head snapped up to stare intently at Hiei's form as the rocks resting on the man's stomach shifted from movement. Hiei's eyes opened a fraction, red glistening from beneath downcast eyelashes. "Oaf," he breathed through barely parted lips.

A hoarse laugh choked Kuwabara. If Hiei was insulting him, then he was just fine. Riding on a second wind, Kuwabara helped Hiei move off the rest of the rocks.

"Welcome back from the Dead," Kuwabara said cheekily. He and Hiei grasped hands and Kuwabara pulled the shorter man into a sitting position.

Hiei scoffed. "It will take more than a toss through the air to bring me down. Or do you think me weak, _human_?"

"Never."

For a moment the two sat staring at each other, consumed by the feeling of connectedness they rarely shared. The feeling was surreal and the sheer oddity of it lulled them into a state of calm and serenity. The fact that both were still alive had them drowning in a sense of total _right. _ In the next second the harsh reality of their Hellish mission slammed into them and knocked them to the ground, Yusuke's beaten form landing heavily on top of them.

Kuwabara grunted as Yusuke ground is elbow right against the gash on his temple in his shaky attempt to regain his feet. At this point he was ignoring the constant cry of his ribs in favor of throwing his weight into roughly shoving Yusuke's bulky form off himself and Hiei. Something about Hiei's smaller frame had Kuwabara panicking about how much he could physically bear and if the sudden combine weight of Yusuke and himself would have crossed that limit. Granted Kuwabara could remember Hiei holding his own weight at the Gate of Betrayal. Worry still chewed his ass as he carefully helped Hiei sit back up then turned to glare at Yusuke.

"Hate to break your lovefest, but we're getting our asses kicked! If you haven't noticed, we're being swatted left and right like we're freakin' flies!"

"_It's all shit!_" yelled the worn down demon thrashing about. Kuwabara spied Kurama clinging to a spot on its back it couldn't reach. Though the demon's hide was sleek and ridiculously hard to penetrate, Kurama had embedded a plant with razor sharp thorns into its body using the weak point he and Hiei had made. Several steely vines wrapped securely around the length of one of his arms. Crimson locks clung to the sweat pouring down his face as he pushed his flagging energies into working the remaining vines throughout the massive creature's nervous system. If he could just connect to the most vital parts he could take down the rampaging nutcase with a single command. "_It's all trash, filth! Demons, humans, Gods; they all deserve Death! And I will deliver every single being onto Her!"_

Kuwabara watched in horror as the demon flopped onto it back, grinding Kurama into the unforgiving ground and knocking him out cold. Beside him he felt Hiei unsteadily gaining his feet while Yusuke tensed in outrage, both their energies spiking slightly. His own energies sparked but failed to flare into a full flame let alone the roaring wildfire that was needed to finish the mission.

In his unconsciousness Kurama's figure slipped down far enough for the demon to grab him up in hand and yank him free from its body. Kurama's head lolled over the demon's clenched fingers, vibrant red obscuring the wide eyed gaze of his three teammates leaping to his rescue. With a mighty roar that dangerously shook the cliffs they stood atop, the demon charged to meet with his assailants head on, carelessly flinging Kurama's limp body behind him.

"_Kurama!_" Kuwabara yelled in terror. He saw it all in slow motion, watching as Kurama rose in a graceful arch in the air, long hair flying wildly all around him. As if a hook was caught on his shirt between his shoulder blades, Kurama began to fall backwards, right off the edge of the cliff into the depths of a raging body of water teeming with demonic creatures Kuwabara couldn't even imagine.

Just as the tips of Kurama's shoes disappeared over the edge, Yusuke, Hiei and Kuwabara collided with the Hell bent demon. Or more Yusuke and Hiei started trading blows with the demon. Kuwabara didn't pause as he flashed past the fighting trio. His goal was the cliff and below. His feet pounded into the ground, spitting up bits of rocks as he funneled energy into his gait.

The strength his energies gave him had his muscles eating up the distance to the cliff. Kuwabara didn't falter in his stride as the lip of the cliff sprung up.

It was free fall from there.

Wind rushed him, drowning out the sound of the fight above him. It was a long stretch between the cliff top and the water level. Kuwabara could easily see Kurama's flamboyant hair crashing into the water below. Within seconds, he was swallowed from Kuwabara's view by the hungry sea. The depths were a dark purple instead of the blue-green on the human planes. Speeding toward the surface, Kuwabara hoped that was the only dissimilarity between the two.


End file.
